Whether inside or outside the image, Japanese national treasure actress Kiki Shirin shows her strength as a woman. On September 15, 2018, the death of Kiki Shirin triggered a rare and spontaneous mourning among movie fans around the world. In our memories, the characters she created in the film are so unforgettable. She has won four Japan Academy Awards, six times with the famous director Hirokazu Kore-eda, and in 2016 she deservedly won the Asian Film Lifetime Achievement Award... Her performance is like the warm sun on a summer afternoon, kind and natural, simple and vivid, like the next-door neighbor's grandmother who really exists around everyone. With a gentle wave of her hand, everything about summer would awaken in her memory. Off-screen, she is probably most talked about is her marriage to rock singer Yuya Uchida. This incomprehensible relationship lasted until the end of her life.
A few days ago, the only collection of essays "Everything Followed" introduced by Jiujiu Readers and the People's Literature Publishing House was published, which once again aroused our nostalgia for this grandmother-level actress. It is reported that the book was the first selling work in Japanese bookstores last year, the last million-volume bestseller in the Heisei era, and was read by many Japanese showbiz stars and praised as "their own Bible".
It is more appropriate to call it a collection of essays, but it is more appropriate to call it "quotations", which is the quotation that Honki Shirin used to engrave himself. In the book, readers can see how Kiki Shirin, who was not spared by cancer in his later years, completely "enjoyed" the life of illness under the condition of the spread of cancer cells throughout the body; how he was seriously in love all his life when he failed to have a successful marriage in the secular sense; how he did not have the appearance of being favored by heaven, but injected his own unique soul into many movies. In this era when women must ride the wind and waves and must "sass", the life of Kiki Shirin can be said to explain what is the real sense of "sa" from the other hand.
About acting: all her classic roles were born after the age of 60
In kore-eda and Cannes's film "Thief Family", "Grandma" Hatsue Shibata sits alone on the beach, looks at the crowd in front of him, and says "thank you", which is a scene written by Kiki Shirin and director Hirokazu Kore-eda. In the decade from 2008's "Non-Stop Walking" to cannes winning the Palme d'Or, Kiki Hashirin has collaborated on six films with director Hirokazu Kore-eda. In other words, in Kore-eda's movies, there are "children" with flowing water and "grandmothers" with iron hits. This needle-like existence of the sea god is the tree Shirin.
Regarding such frequent cooperation between the two, Kore-eda once explained that his relationship with Kiki Shirin was like a mother and a son. In fact, she is very similar to the director's real-life mother personality, and the feeling of seeing the same at first sight makes the director repeatedly invite Kiki Shirin.
It is Kore-eda and kiki Shirin in the movie, who occasionally speaks harshly, sharply, and to the point, but does not lose the gentleness and cuteness of women. For example, in "Non-stop", the mother who complained about her daughter-in-law's "marrying a divorced person is better than a widow" later gave her daughter-in-law a kimono that she had treasured for a long time; in "Deeper Than the Sea", when the "waste wood" son gave her pocket money, the mother knew that her son's life was embarrassing, first of all, she resigned, and then turned her head and said, "Otherwise you help me buy a house, right?" "It really plays the image of the mother in reality: Zhizi Moruomu, and a little bit of a small city servant." And when the son comforted the mother "I am a big instrument late", the mother replied that "it is too late", and the appearance of the son who is not a device is real and cute; the mother in "Deeper than the Sea", after a lifetime of hard work, her wife left her a bunch of pawn tickets, but she still open-mindedly read to her son: "Men can't learn to cherish the present, always chasing what they have lost, dreaming of unfulfilled wishes, trapping themselves." In fact, happiness is something that cannot be started without sacrifice. Then she said: "I have reached this age, and I have not loved anyone deeper than the sea, but I have not lived happily, and ordinary life can enjoy myself." The old lady finished speaking, and did not forget to praise herself," I just said a great quote, right? In the end, she did not forget to tell her son to write it into the novel! The image of the cute old lady simply jumped off the screen.
Some people say that the tree Shirin is the older the redder type. When she was young, due to the limitations of her appearance, she rarely had the opportunity to play the leading role; when she was older, her ordinary but tenacious temperament was gradually precipitated by time and became the best interpreter of "experience". Takeshi Kitano once commented: "Her acting skills are far beyond the average actor. "As he grew older, Kiki Shirin's acting skills became more and more exquisite. In "Everything Goes With the Flow," she wrote, "I feel that what I benefit most is that I don't look good." In the past when "even the maid is a beautiful woman acting", she realized the limitations of her appearance very early, and Did not want to work in the acting world, but secretly formed a fate with acting.
In the 1940s, Kiki Shirin was born in a family full of artistic atmosphere, but he had a special love for pharmacy, and he wanted to take the pharmacy major, but he missed the exam due to a ski fall before taking the university entrance examination. After running out of hope in pharmacy, Kiki Hirin signed up for the Literature Theater Troupe in 1961, and it was there that her experiences nourished her later acting career. In the book, Kiki Shirin records the past, and it can be seen from the narration that she was not interested in acting at first. However, because the literature center was at the forefront of culture, she came into contact with the most dazzling figures in Japanese culture at that time. For example, Yashiro Shizuchi, Narumi Shiro, Takeo Matsuura and other outstanding people. Of course, this was something she realized many years later. At that time, Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburo Oe, who had just won the Wasagawa Prize, had come to give lectures to the troupe. At the 35th anniversary of the troupe's founding, Yukio Mishima also danced a swing dance, and the young Shuntaro Kawatani also came.
Kiki Shirin was not an actress at first, she was responsible for helping some of the senior actors backstage. One day, Haruko Sugimura, a very famous drama actress at that time, said to her, "You child is very clever, come here!" "At the time, they were making a movie by Yasujiro Ozu. As a result, Kiki Shirin was able to go to the studio of Ozu's "Taste of Saury" located on the big ship. "I went mainly for a lunch at noon," Kiki Later recalled, sugimura playing the elderly daughter of Hidejiro Higashino, who ran a ramen restaurant. There was a scene where she pulled up the curtain and cried when she heard her father and his friend secretly talking about themselves, and this shot was still not good many times. At that time, everyone did not dare to breathe... However, Kiki Shirin, who had absorbed the breath of Ozu's crew, became interested in making movies.
Kiki Shirin was mainly acting in TV dramas for a while, and she really became active in the film industry after the age of 60, that is, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer spreading throughout her body. At that time, she devoted herself to life and film with greater enthusiasm. Her life did not die to death, but instead lived with the "infinite movement" method, and lived for more than ten years after her body was "sentenced to death" until her life stopped at the age of 75. She said that these years were "earned" by herself, during which she created many memorable characters in a series of films such as "Tokyo Tower", "Walking Non-stop", "Deeper Than the Sea", "The Wicked Man", "Where There is Shoichi Kumagai", "Thief Family" and so on, which are a treasure trove of her seamless acting skills.
In Kiki Shirin's view, fragments of daily life such as drinking tea and pouring water are the most difficult to perform. "In the daily actions that everyone can do, the character of the character must be shown, such as: this person is an acute child, this person has a bad heart, etc., which is a real test for the actor." Kiki Shirin first attributed this to director Hirokazu Kore-eda, who can dig out the subtleties and innermost things of human nature, so as to affirm both the interestingness of people and the failures of people in the film, "such works are very attractive." Specific to the "Thief Family" that the two last worked together, Kiki Shirin wrote in the book: "The film "Thief Family" actually says that 'what is stolen is a bondage'. Man is not an individual who can exist alone, and having a connection with others is bound to be bound. Then there will be a story, and the bonds will eventually be broken. Man cannot possess anything eternal." "'Thief Family' will win the Palme d'Or, which is the result of careful observation and repeated consideration of the life experiences and lifestyles of each character."
Similar souls and similar views of things have resulted in the wonderful characterization of Kore-eda and Kiki Shirin in as many as six collaborations. During the filming of "Thief Family", Kiki Shirin repeatedly questioned the character's setting to director Hirokazu Kore-eda at the script seminar: "Why does this old woman have to accept so many people who have never lived a long life?" "There are quite a few irrationalities that are difficult to explain" and so on. As a result of the doubt, the director added a scene in "Thief Family" to explain why the old woman lived alone and accepted such a group of unemployed and needy people, which played a crucial role in the logical main line of the plot development.
This kind of thing also happened during the filming of "Non-Stop". It is Kore-eda who once recalled that the role of "mother" in the film was originally tailored for Kiki Shirin, "Ms. Shirin has a very deep understanding of the role of mother and gave me a lot of advice... People often think that Ms. Shirin often performs improvisations, but in fact, she came to the shooting scene after careful consideration of the performance. ”
The accumulation of small things can add authenticity to the "daily life" of the film, which requires the actor to start observing from usual, and it is impossible to think of it on the spot on the shooting scene. In the book, Kiki Shirin explains why she has been reluctant to let people pick up cars for many years of filming, in her opinion, "The most important thing for an actor is to live an ordinary life and get along with ordinary people." Therefore, I usually take the tram and also use the transit card. ”
When filming "The Taste of Chengsha", the crew went to the Hansen Disease Nursing Home to experience life. Director Naomi Kawase said to the elderly Kiki Shirin, "I am waiting for you at the Seibu Shinjuku Line station. So, the two took the tram together. When he returned, the original author, Sukekawa Dorian, returned with the three of them. Sukekawa asked Shirin a question: "(As a celebrity) will your subway ride be too eye-catching?" Before she could answer, director Naomi Kawase replied for her, "When Ms. Shirin enters the crowd, she will hide herself." Indeed, for so many years, Kiki Shirin has been quietly observing the daily life of ordinary people, "If I don't do this, I can't be an actor", which is her credo.
About marriage: "Sometimes I want to have that kind of back to lean on"
Speaking of Kiki Shirin, it is impossible not to mention her husband, rock musician Yuya Uchida. Despite his repeated pokes out of the basket, Shirin firmly believes that "I am the one who is saved [because of marriage]". In 1973, Kiki Married Yukiya Uchida at the age of 30, her second marriage and a turning point in her personal life. The two separated in the third year of their marriage, but this ill-gotten marriage lasted for more than 40 years. According to their daughter, Uchida Yayako, "For the 19 years before I got married, our family was just my mother and me. At home, the father is only a symbolic presence.". When he was young, under the pressure of his absent father, he also nearly collapsed at one point. However, when she asked her mother , " Why do you want to maintain this relationship , Kiki Replied in a calm tone : " Because your father has an innocence " .
It can be seen that kiki Shirin's relationship with her husband cannot even be understood by her children. In 1981, Uchida filed for divorce, and Kiki Shirin sued the court for invalidity, and she won. In "Everything Goes With the Flow", there is evidence that the couple has spoken harshly and even fought with each other. Kiki Shirin moved out of the house. At the same time, she wrote, "It's incredible. We have gotten into trouble in court, and I have been scolded by him in public. But when my husband and a certain actress had a scandal, our family of three took pictures in the photo studio."
This incredible couple has also become a legend in The Japanese show business world. Is Hiroya Uchida an asshole? Bastards indeed. But Kiki Shirin is still willing to see her husband's shining point. She believes that "anyone who meets her husband, both men and women, shows better qualities than before, and this is what makes him remarkable." In the chaotic entertainment industry, Kiki Shirin cherishes this side of her husband and regards it as a very valuable quality. She was also asked, why not get a divorce? Shirin didn't know how to explain it, but she also felt that with the limitation of the status of "wife", she would not indulge.
In the years when she insisted on not divorcing, the elders in the family or friends of the same age failed to persuade her. After finding out that he was suffering from cancer, Kiki Shirin decided to meet her husband. The two spoke face to face and spoke well, almost never before in more than 30 years of married life. However, she thought that if she missed this opportunity, she might never have another chance. So she sat down in front of him and said to him, "You must have had a lot of dissatisfaction over the years, right?" I'm sorry I did something very wrong with you! With that, she got up and left. This rare meeting thus changed the relationship between the husband and wife who had been deadlocked for many years. After that, they began to eat together, and sometimes traveled and visited friends together. In Kiki Shirin's view, this is also a harvest from illness.
Once, the elderly couple went to Fujimura Shiho's house in Karuizawa as a guest. On the way back, they met a very temperamental elderly couple who greeted them and said, "Hello." Later, Kiki Shirin realized that the person was actually the lawyer who had filed a divorce lawsuit for them 30 years ago. At that time, the lawyer had suggested to her: "Now that you have done this, you should leave, right?" But because of Kiki Shirin's insistence, it did not go on.
Once, on the train, Uchida Yuya suddenly said, "Fortunately, there was no divorce at that time." At that moment, Kiki Shirin's heart was full of emotions, she never thought that this sentence would come out of her husband's mouth. In her diary, she wrote that the past few decades have sometimes felt very futile, but it is precisely because of this period of time that we have the restraint we have today, with mutual care and mutual respect. It turns out that couples can still live like this!
Fate is so coincidental that Kiki Shirin's life of "living most of the time only with her daughter and occasionally having a husband" is almost reproduced in the film Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad, which she collaborated with her daughter Yaiko. In the process of filming, she gradually realized that the reason why families in the world will not fall apart is because of women's tenacity. The "female" person is "tai", and the Chinese character "beginning" is formed. The foundation on which everything begins is built by the woman. As a woman, I choose my own life, no matter how much suffering I do not blame others, this is the bravery of being a woman.
On September 15, 2018, Kiki Shirin passed away, and while her daughter Yayako was sorting out the relics, she found a small photo album with a letter from her father to her mother. This faded note from a hotel in London to Japan reads: This year has caused you a lot of trouble, and I am deeply reflecting. I know very well that because of my dreams and gambling, you paid a high price... Although I often spew foul language at you, I really love you from the bottom of my heart. This letter, written in 1974, surprised Yayako. The words in the letter, although willful and casual, are full of the father's gratitude and love for his mother. The confusion that had been in her mind for many years about the way her parents got along seemed to have solved some.
Does Kiki Shirin, who never says regrets, really feel sorry for his marriage? We don't know, but some clues can be captured from the book. In January 2007, she mentioned one thing in Interview: Ken Uzui and Kiki Shirin. Kiki Says she has never been envied by other couples, except for an actor named Hara Izumi and her writer husband, Shigeharu Nakano. "One night, I visited their house. It was summer, the room was lit with mosquito coils, and Mr. Nakano was writing something on the desk with the lamp on it. Looking at the back of his white kimono, Ms. Hara Izumi shouted, 'I'm back.' Then, probably because I was there that day, it was said that she would always lean on that back, clinging to her husband, and tell the warm back of everything that had happened that day. That's great! I sometimes think, if only I had that back. For the first time, I was older and wished there were one or two such sweet anecdotes. ”
Author: Chen Xihan
Editor: Xu Luming